Sofa-bed



M. FOX

SOFA-BED June 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 30, 1958 mmzrm M, a/ fife/Wags SOFA-BED Martin Fox, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Seng Company, a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. 30, 1958, Ser. No. 712,218

Claims. (Cl. 5-37) This invention relates to a sofa bed, and in particular it relates to a sofa bed in which the seatis tilted rear wardly in seat position and is horizontal in bed position.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a very simple and inexpensive mechanism for shifting a seat frame and back frame of a sofa bed between a sofa position and a bed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism in which the seat frame is rearwardly inclined in sofa position and is horizontal in bed position, and in which the movement of the back frame from sofa position to a horizontal bed position automatically elevates the rear of the seat frame into coplanar bed relationship to the back frame.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a sofa bed in which the seat frame and the back frame are stably supported both in sofa position and in bed position.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a sofa bed in which the back is held in sofa position above a base frame by conventional sofa bed hinges, and in which auxiliary supporting links which are idle in sofa position make pin and slot connections with support plates on the base frame to support the rear of the seat frame in bed position. Said links also have a pin and notch interengagement with the plates to prevent them from moving up in bed position.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the invention in sofa position, taken substantially as indicated along the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken substantially as indicated along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the invcn" tion in bed position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view on an enlarged scale, showing the connection between the supporting link and the supporting plate; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken substantially as indicated along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, a sofa bed, indicated generally at 10, has abase indicated generally at 11, which includes end rails 12, a back rail 13, a front rail 14 and arms 15 all supported upon legs 16. It is understood that the base frame 11 is covered by suitable upholstery.

A sofa bed mechanism indicated generally at 17 includes a seat frame 18 having end rails 19, a rear rail 20 and a front rail (not shown in the drawings); and a back frame 22 having end rails 23, a top rail 24 and a bottom rail 25. The seat frame 18 is hingedly connected to the front rail 14 of the base 11 by two or more hinges 26, while the seat frame 18 and back frame 22 are operative ly connected by a mechanism 27 which permits them to be supported upon the base 11 either in the sofa position of Fig. 1 or in the bed position of Fig. 3. A seat cushnited States Patent 0 "Ice ion M and a back cushion M1, shown in broken lines, are secured, respectively, to the seat frame 18 and back frame 22, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, and are connected by a flap M2 which covers the space between the cushions in the bed position of Fig. 3.

The mechanism 27 includes a hinge bracket 28 having an attaching flange 29 by means of which it is secured to the end rail 23 of the back frame 22, and a pivot portion 30 which is rigidly secured at right angles to the flange 29. A pivot plate 31 on the end rail 19 of the seat frame 18 is provided with a pivot 32 which provides a pivotal connection between the pivot plate 31 and the pivot portion 30 of the hinge bracket 28.

On the end rail 12 of the base 11 below pivot'32 is a supporting bracket 33 which is provided with a pivot 34 for a supporting link 35 the opposite end of which is pivoted at 37 to an extension 36 of the hinge bracket 28. The link 35 is provided with a longitudinal slot 35a to accommodate the pivot 34, so that the link makes a pin and slot connection with the base 11. As best seen in Figs. 4 and 5, the link 35 has a rearwardly open notch, indicated generally at 44, the lower margin 45 of which is normal to the axis of the link, while the upper margin 46 is at about a 45 angle to the lower margin. In bed position the notch 44 engages a stud 47 on the supporting bracket 33 to prevent upward movement of the link 35, thus preventing the sofa back from tipping rearwardly in bed position.

The mechanism 27 is also provided with a releasable latch'mechanism indicated generally at 38. Latch mechanism 38 includes a latch arm 39 which is pivoted at 40 to the pivot plate 31 and has a notch 41 which is releasably engageable with a latch keeper 42. A pivoted latch dog 43 acts to releasably retain latch arm 39 in engagement with the keeper 42. The operation of releasable latch mechanism 38 is no part of this invention, and is more fully set out in Fox et a1. Patent 2,437,949 is-' sued March 16, 1948.

It is sufficient for the present description to state that the latch notch 41 may be disengaged from the keeper 42 by swinging the back frame 22 forward on its pivot 32.. This movement is permitted by reason of the pin and slot connection between. the link 35 and the base 11.

Once the latch mechanism 38 has been released, the back frame 22 may be swung rearwardly about the pivots 32, which causes the link 35 to swing to the upright position of Fig. 4 in which it is directly beneath the pivot 32, and stably supports the rear of the seat frame 18 and the front of the back frame 22 in coplanar bed position. As previously explained, the engagement of notch 44 and stud 47 prevents rearward tipping of the back in this position.

It will be understood that there is an identical mechanism 27 at the opposite end of the sofa bed 17, so that the sofa bed is supported on a pair of such mechanisms.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim 1. A sofa bed comprising: a base; a seat frame the front of which is pivotally supported adjacent the front of said base for movement between an inclined sofa, position and a horizontal bed position; a back frame; a. pair of upstanding pivot plates secured to the rear portion of the seat frame; a pair of hinge brackets secured to the lower portion of the back frame and pivotally connected to said pivot plates for swinging movement between a sofa position in which they extend rearwardly from said pivotal connections and the back frame is inclined, and a bed position in which they extend downmamas wardly from the pivotal connections and the back frame is coplanar with the seat frame; latch means interconnecting said pivot plates and said hinge brackets to latch the back frame in sofa position, said latch means being releasable by forward pivotal movement of the back; a ipair of links pivotally connected to the hinge brackets between the hinge bracket pivots and the back frame; a pair of supporting brackets on the ends of the base beneath said pivotal connections; means connecting each of said links with one of said supporting brackets-for swinging and limited longitudinal sliding'movement so that said links may be elevated i'elative to the base in sofa position to permit release of the latch means, and may occupy an upright bed position in which said'c'o'nnectingmeans intere'ngages to s'tablysupport the rear of the seat frame; and interengaging means onsaid links and said supporting brackets to prevent upward movement of the links in bed position.

2. The device of claim- 1 in which the interengagin'g means comprise rearwardly open flat bottomed notches in'said links and studs on the supporting brackets with which said notches engage as the links move into bed position.

3.'A sofa bed comprising: a base; a seat frame the front of which is pivotally supported adjacent the front of said base for movement between an inclined s'ofa'p'osition and a horizontalbed position; a back frame; a pair of upstanding pivot plates secured to the rear portion of the seat frame; a pair of hinge brackets secured to" the lower portion of the back frame and pivotally connected to said pivot plates for swinging movement connecting said'pivot plates and said hinge brackets to latch the back frame in sofa position; means for releasing said latch means by swinging the back frame forward on the hing bracket pivots; a pair of links pivotally connected to the hinge brackets between the hinge bracket pivots and the back frame, saidlinks having longitudinal slots near their lower ends; a pair of supporting brackets on the ends of the base beneath said pivotal connections, said supporting brackets having'headed pins" engaged with said slots so that the links may beelevated relative to the base in sofa position to permit-release of the latch means and may occupy an upright bedaposition in which the upper ends oftheslotsseat on the pins to support the rear of the seat frame; and interengaging means on said links and said supporting brackets to prevent upward movement of the links in bed position.

4. The device of claim 3 in which the interengaging means comprise rearwardly open fiat bottomed notches in said links and studs on the supporting brackets with which said notches engage as the links move into bed position. v 7

5. A sofa bed'cem-p'rising: a base; a seat frame the front of which is pivotally supported adjacent the front of said base for movement between an inclined sofa position and a horizontal bed position; -a back frame; a pair of upstanding pivot plates secured to the rear portion of the seat frame; a pair of hinge brackets secured to the lower portion of the back frame and pivotally connected to said pivot plates'forswinging' movement betweena sofa position in which they extend rearwa'rdly from-said pivotal connections and the-back frame is inclined, and a bed position in which they extend downwardly from the pivotal connections and the back frame is coplanar with the seat frame; latch means interconnecting said pivot plates and said hinge brackets to latch the back frame in sofa position, said 'latch means being releasable by forward pivotal movement of the back; a pair of links pivotally connected 'to the-hing'e brackets between the-hinge bracket pivots and the back frame; a pair of supporting brackets on the ends of the base References Cited in the file of this patent UNrrED'sTATEs PATENTS 828,215 Kelly Aug. 7, 1907 2,437,949 Fox et al. -nt Mar-. 16, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 259,393 Switzerland June 16 19:49

--1;071,677 Franeettmn Mar. 10, 1 9-5 4 

